PITTSBURGH – At its annual board meeting, Pressley Ridge presented its Annual Achievement Award posthumously to Benjamin R. Fisher, Jr. in appreciation for his long and illustrious service to Pressley Ridge. His wife, Linda Crawford Fisher accepted the award on behalf of the family.

The Annual Achievement Award was started in 1981 to recognize individuals for their outstanding service to children and families. The award is presented to an individual who have made significant contributions to the welfare of children and families representing the guiding mission and values of Pressley Ridge. The recipient is selected by Pressley Ridge’s board of directors. Past recipients include Mayor Tom Murphy, John Pierce, Commander Ron Freeman and Lilian Fisher, mother of Ben Fisher received the award in 1990. Last year the award was presented to Clark Luster as he retired as executive director after twenty-seven years of service.

Fisher was the fourth generation of his family to serve on Pressley Ridge’s board. His great-grandmother Margaret Smith Aiken joined the board in 1885, followed by her daughter Margaret Aiken Fisher and then Lilian Hall Fisher.

In the Pressley Ridge’s history book Reckoning with Rainbows, Abby Mendelson wrote: “Like the family pew, or antique china, for some a seat on the Pressley Ridge Board is an heirloom, something to be handed down and cherished.” Ben was on the Pressley board for over 20 years, served as its President and was a founding member of the Pressley Foundation in 1991.

Pressley Ridge is a national leader in children’s mental health and social services treatment with offices in 6 states and Lisbon, Portugal. Pressley Ridge serves more than 1,700 children and families daily in residential programs, treatment foster care, educational services and community-based services.